Herpetology

As part of our field research, members of the A.P.E. lab occasionally stumble on a novel observation worthy of a published ’natural history note’. Here, we note the observation of tail bifurcation in the western skink, Plestiodon skiltonianus: This is the first publication for UNR undergraduate Chasey Danser (pictured below doing field research)- congratulations Chasey!! (Photo credit: Danielle C. Miles) Miles, D.C., Danser, C., and K.T. Shoemaker. 2020. Tail bifurcation in Plestiodon skiltonianus. Herpetology Notes. https://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/viewFile/57502/60850

Dr. Shoemaker’s PhD dissertation focused on the conservation of bog turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) in New York and Massachusetts. Building upon an existing capture-recapture dataset, he estimated population vital rates and abundance of these turtles in small wetlands in eastern New York (Dutchess County) and assessed for evidence of dispersal within a complex of multiple neighboring wetlands. His work also used microsatellite genotypes to further assess gene flow within these wetland complexes. ...